This €27 million project (a €22 million AFD loan and a €5 million EU grant) will give Myanmar a high-security national reference laboratory in Yangon and strengthen its diagnostic testing capacities to better protect the population, particularly those who are most vulnerable, against epidemics and emerging diseases. Myanmar’s regional and international integration will also be promoted thanks to the collaborations established with neighboring countries as well as with the network of Pasteur Institutes and the Mérieux Foundation’s GABRIEL network.
Like other countries in Southeast Asia, Myanmar is confronted with the emergence of infectious diseases and major epidemic risks (dengue fever, zika, H5-N1…) that it is currently unable to monitor or diagnose under the proper conditions.
This project would not have been possible without the expertise and strong involvement of Institut Pasteur and the Mérieux Foundation. From the start of feasibility studies, they joined AFD and the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports to participate in mounting this major project for the country.
The Mérieux Foundation will continue its support by providing expertise in the design and construction of public health laboratories and Institut Pasteur will support the Ministry of Health and Sports for five years to strengthen capacities in diagnostic testing, research and laboratory management.
The mobilization and coordination of French expertise make it possible to respond to a request from the country’s authorities and to raise the necessary funding from AFD and from the European Union. It is a very good example of a French team working together abroad to address global public health challenges.
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